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“The Impact of using social media marketing on business
and entrepreneurs”
A Thesis Proposal Presented to the Faculty of
ACLC-Guadalupe Makati
In Partial Fulfillment for the Capstone Project in Work Immersion (SHS)
Submitted by:
“YNGWEE DARVIN O. SALVO”
Daniel E. Diocares Jr.
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Thesis Adviser
2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“The Impact of using social media as a marketing strategy
around the world”
ABSTRACT
Social media has become prominent in the 21st century.
Companies are persistently looking for ways to utilize this new
platform within their marketing strategies to increase business
growth. Since social media is a networking and communication
platform, companies need to create a voice to humanize the
business and maintain foot traffic. Although there are studies on
how to use social media marketing within a business, there is
minimal corroboration available on how social media marketing
activities influence a consumer’s buying behavior. This study
investigated the effects of social media on consumer attitudes
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toward social media marketing and purchasing behavior from the
perspective of Northern Virginia (NOVA) Community College
students. A survey that inquired about the perceptions toward
social media marketing were given to 20 participants from Northern
Virginia (NOVA) Community College. Responses to the survey
showed that 95% of the participants use social media platforms
daily. The most used social media platforms are Facebook and
Snapchat with 22.7% of participants having an account on these
platforms, and 70% of participants indicating using more than 3
social media platforms. The results showed that 55% of the
respondents say that online visibility would affect their purchases.
The most important factor for a business using social media was
customer engagement and the least important factor was the
timing of posts. The survey also revealed that only 55% of the
respondents post about products or services of a business.
However, 95% of the respondents believe that a business will
receive better results when it comes to customer loyalty and profits
if social media is integrated into marketing and 75% of the
respondents believe that social media is the best way to reach a
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business’s targeted audience. The results also suggest that people
are more likely to share an experience they have had with a
business rather than sharing sales or promotions a business is
offering. According to the results of this study, purchasing
behavior is more likely to have a positive effect on a business
when using social media platforms for marketing strategies. This iii
conclusion emphasizes the importance of social media marketing
for a positive increase in brand loyalty, brand recognition, and foot
traffic.
Chapter 1 – The problem and its Background
Introduction
In recent years the online environment is viewed by users from a
new perspective, in a commercial way. Its development and the
emergence of online stores have turned users into consumers.
Social media is used for communicating with other people, making
it possible for trades in goods or sell.
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Social media is the new communal gathering place for many
Americans and others around the globe. Users rely on social media
avenues to receive and share information about their communities,
businesses, politics, lifestyles, and for pure entertainment. For
example, the 2016 presidential election flooded Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram. In fact, Presidents have used these social media
outlets, particularly Twitter, to share updates on policies and
upcoming events in the country. According to Pew Research
Center, nearly two-thirds (65%) of adults now use social
networking sites (Perrin, 2015). With social media being prevalent
amongst the younger generation, businesses have refocused their
organizational structure specifically on marketing through social
media. Social media websites and blogs reach about 80% of all
Internet users in the Entire world (Emow, 2012). With such a vast
majority of the population using the internet to connect with each
other for entertainment, networking, and business, one can ask the
following question: How does social media affect sales in a
company? More specifically, this research is interested in the
impact of social media avenues on customer perceptions and
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attitudes. The impact of social media on business revenue will be
explored, analyzed and discussed in this study. The study will also
explore the value of social media, how social media is utilized by
consumers, and how businesses can use social media to their
advantage.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
an important role of social media has changed the way consumers
and marketers communicate. (Hennig-Thurau T., Gwinner K., Walsh
G. & Gremler D., 2004)entrepreneurs have the advantage of more
income for themselves, In Which Sales play a vital role in the
growth of any business.
an important role of social media has changed the way consumers
and marketers communicate. (Hennig-Thurau T., Gwinner K., Walsh
G. & Gremler D., 2004) Informational society influences affect the
consumer buying decision and product evaluations. Social media
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provides a new channel to acquire product information through
peer communication, (Kozinets, 1999). However, with the aid of
information and modern communication technologies, consumers
can shop via the Internet using several Social Media and different
websites (Toomey and Wysocki, 2005). This type of shopping mode
can come in several names such as online shopping, online buying
behavior, and Internet shopping. All names of shopping modes
refer to the process of purchasing and buying products or services
via the Internet using several Social Media and different websites
(Li and Zhang, 2002). Social Media (SM) are web-based services
that are also known as “Social Networking Sites”. Social Media
(SM) refers to a network of relationships and interactions among
different users (groups or individuals) (Kempe & Chin, 2003). Social
Media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter enable users to
maintain great connections among themselves as well with others
(Ellison & Kozinets, 2007) by achieving more than one task and
facilitating the way of communicating and sharing different
information (comments, thoughts, videos, and images) (Kietzmann,
2011). Social Media is playing a significant role in different aspects
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of our lives. What is interesting about SM is that it supports users
in several sectors, such as business, marketing, advertising, and
education (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010). From a business
perspective, businesses and buyers can interact directly by SM
with each other, and thereby find whatever products and services
they are looking for (Parson, 2013). Consumers today are
progressively utilizing technology and particularly Social Media as
an effective tool in their online shopping process. This process can
be defined as an electronic process that allows consumers to deal
with businesspeople and meet their purchases’ needs.
Pookulangara and Koesler (2011) in their study of social media
marketing indicated that SM enables 25% of all consumers to post
links about products and services information in their retail sites to
update other users about the purchase process. Another study by
Miller (2010) stated in his research on online marketing that social
marketing has made a very important role in persuading
consumers to buy online. He found that 70% of consumers are
visiting Social Media to get useful information, 49% of them
decided to buy a certain product and 60% of consumers prefer to
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share their information about the products with others online.
However, the actual transactions of purchasing processes occur
for only 7% of consumers (Miller and Lammas, 2010). Online
shopping is growing everywhere and different categories of
consumers are influenced by this phenomenon. For instance, the
percentage of online buyers is increasing in India, China, Japan,
and Australia to about 87%, 85% (North Asia and Europe), 83%
(North America), 81% (South and Latin America), and 53% (Africa
and Pakistan) (Solorzano, 2011). The overall online purchasing
process has enabled 875 million consumers to boost the
percentage of other online shoppers to 40% in the recent two years
due to the recommendations posted in different SM about
products.
The sales process consist of different practices, and one of them is
getting to know your customers and establishing secure
relationships with them." social media" as we all know, connects
people and can help businesses get more information about their
customer. It enables entrepreneurs to find out how their business
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is perceived by their customers, including what their customers
think of their competitors, allowing them to make the necessary
changes in their products or services and initiate conversations to
cultivate a prospect or sales lead.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
But this Includes some problems or difficulties - perhaps the
distinguished challenge posed by social media is the ability of an
entrepreneur to create compelling content regularly. Too many business
owners are eager to jump into social media, yet they do not have a
sound content strategy or the ability to commit long term.
Customers are overwhelmed by marketing commercials and
promotional events. The sensitivity of customers to get excited is fading
out during promotional events and consumers are beginning to resist
the effect of some companies marketing them.
The introduction of the Internet has changed the way organizations
promote their products and services and products as well as the
channels of communication between them and their customers. This is
seen in the way they market and communicate their brands and
products, which has become a challenging project.
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The promotional focus of some organizations is on the conventional
mass media advert style, which includes commercial TV, radio jingles,
and advertisements in print formats such as newspapers and magazines
along with billboard placements. It is now on record that as the Internet
is fast advancing across the global marketplace, the effectiveness of
traditional mass media is fast on the decline.
It is on this background that this study needs to be carried out to
determine the rate at which social media can contribute to the sales of
Brands.
Objectives of the study:
The research aims to determine the impact of social media on consumer
buying behavior toward brands. The study specifically determines to:
1. Examine consumers’ perception of buying brands online.
2. Examine the factors that motivate consumers to buy the brand
through social media.
3. Examine how much social media has affected consumers’ buying
Behavior of the brands.
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THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
This section of the study presents the different theories and
paradigms/models that are related to the subject of this thesis that can
be used for the analysis of marketing using social media, platform
marketing, and brands.
Social Media - Social media are interactive technologies and digital
channels that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas,
interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities
and networks.
Platform Marketing-A marketing platform enables businesses to promote
their products and services. It also allows companies to create an
interactive system of communication between their business and customers.
It's necessary to have a basic understanding of marketing platforms to
compete efficiently in the online marketplace.
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Brand-A brand differentiates a product from similar other products and
enables it to charge a higher premium, in return for a clear identity and greater
faith in its function. A brand is also likely to survive longer than just an
undifferentiated product.
A brand is akin to a living being: it has an identity and personality, name,
culture, vision, emotion, and intelligence. All these are conferred by the owner
of the brand and need to be continuously looked at to keep the brand relevant
to the target it intends to sell to.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
INPUT
Social Media
Marketing
Actevities
1.Profile
Respondent of
online
communities
2. Indicators that
your respondents
are online
OUTPUT
Relations
hip
Equity
PROCE
SS
Purchas
e
Intention
(The Research Paradigm presents the connection of online platform through
the respondent using of gathering procedure with the use of survey
questionnaires and categorized ideals for the consumer)
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1
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This sought to Answer And Asses for a thorough analysis of online interaction
for the Study of Platform marketing for brands and ideals.
Profile Respondent of online communities
1. Who is your customer?
Male or female AgeHighest Degree AccomplishLocation-
2. Where is Your Audience?
Are they online?
(yes or no)
Where do they shop?
(Shoppe or Lazada)
belong to the association?
(Any club on Facebook or Twitter)
1
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Publications they read?
(Any Sites of Articles)
3. What differentiate you?
What's your elevator pitch?
(Qualifications)
What makes you unique?
(Craft a compelling story)
4. What are your goals?
Establish your brand?
(yes or no)
Increase Visibility?
Generate traffic to a website?
Grow sales and revenue?
5. How will you execute?
What do you need to learn?
What tools are necessary?
Who is Responsible?
How will you measure?
How will you measure?
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6. When will you communicate?
What social network?
How often will you post?
Will you blog?
Will you use visual/video?
RELATIONSHIP EQUITY
-(Individuals maximize rewards minimize cost)-(Negotiation occurs to produce fairness)-(The relationship produces distress if there is inequity)-( The disadvantaged person is always trying harder to make the relationship
more equitable)-
PURCHASE INTENTION
the willingness of a customer to buy a certain product or a certain service.
SCOPE AND DELIMATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
The scope of this study will focus on the impact of social media platforms on
consumer buying behavior.
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SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The short duration of the project research and the interference of other
academic work will affect the timely conclusion of the work.
Being a student, the researcher has little means of earning and so the finance
needed to travel to places to acquire data for the research work will be difficult
to get, however, the researcher intends to try her possible best to acquire the
finances needed for the project to be carried out.
THIS STUDY WILL GREATLY BENEFIT THE FOLLOWING:
Consumer Buying Behavior
Faster
Consumer Behaviour
Acceptable
Consumer Decision Making
Easy
Economic Factors
High
Socio-Cultural Factors
Many
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Definition of Terms
Consumer Behaviour
Schiffinan and Kanuk (2004) define Consumer Behaviour as
the behavior that customers display in searching for,
purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and
services that they expect will satisfy their needs. Consumer
buying behavior incorporates the acts of individuals directly
involved in obtaining, using, and disposing of economic
goods and services
including the decision process that precedes and determines
these acts (Huctings 1995).
Consumer Decision Making
Mahatoo (1985) defines the Consumer Behavior decisionmaking process as consisting of several steps that begin
before the purchase and reach beyond the buying act. He
suggests that marketers have to go beyond the various
influences on buyers and develop an understanding of how
consumers make their buying decisions.
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Economic Factors
Economic Factor is the set of fundamental information that
affects a business or an investment’s value and a buyer’s
spending behavior. According to Brassington (2011),
economic factors include among others; the level of income,
credit availability, attitude towards spending, and liquid
assets.
Socio-Cultural Factors
Social-cultural factors include several factors that characterize
the relationships and activities of a group of people within a
particular set environment (Jones, 2007).
Consumer Buying Behavior
This refers to the multi-step decision-making process people
engage in and the actions they take to satisfy their needs and
wants in the marketplace (Kotler, 2008).
Chapter 2 – Related Literature and Studies
Related Literature
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LITERATURE REVIEW Social media has captured the attention of
many young adults in the 21st century and is becoming a valuable
source amongst the youth. Businesses have found that social media
has a favorable impact on foot traffic and revenue because the
younger generation is looking to the internet to verify the quality and
legitimacy of businesses before they spend their hard-earned
money. Theoretically, if upcoming businesses incorporate social
media into their business functions, especially in the 21st century
where technology is prevalent, business revenue will increase
significantly. Therefore, it is important to answer the following
question: How does social media impact purchasing decisions? In
this modern age and the current technology era, social media has
shown to make an impact on a business. For example, United
Airlines had received a lot of backlash on the internet following the
incident where a passenger was forcibly removed from an
overbooked plane. According to CNN, after thousands of socialites
shared the brutal video around the internet, United took a hit on the
stock market, with shares slipping by 4% and their market value
plummeted by $1 billion (McKirdy, 2017). The question becomes
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more specific: What can social media tell us about people’s attitudes
toward businesses and their products or services?
RELATED STUDIES
Since the rise of social media, businesses have taken upon themselves
to adapt to newer marketing strategies, specifically social media
marketing, for their benefit. Social media marketing is an essential
component of business in the 21st century. Small business leaders are
using this marketing strategy to promote their business to gain visibility,
viability, and sustainability to survive in the current competitive era
(Taneja 2014). Social media marketing is 8 defined as “the process of
gaining traffic or attention through social media sites”. For social media
marketing to be effective, Zhu (2015) argued that marketing efforts need
to be congruent and aligned with the different needs of social media
users. Marketing objectives of social media marketing are awareness,
brand values or reputation, development of relationships and sales.
However, the most important objective that businesses should reflect
within their social media campaigns is effective communication and
engagement with their consumers. Taneja (2014) analyzed the importance
of small businesses incorporating social media into their marketing
efforts. In order for businesses to sell products or services through social
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media effectively, they must build a relationship with their targeted
audience. Effective customer relationship management begins with
properly identifying, maintaining and developing good relationships with
customers and providing value in an effort to properly allocate marketing
resources to relationship developing (Taneja, 2014). In order to build
brand loyalty, it is essential that businesses move from a productoriented approach to a customer-oriented approach. SOCIAL MEDIA’S
IMPACT BUSINESS The wide spread generation and consumption of
content has created an extremely competitive online environment where
different types of content vie with each other for the scarce attention of
the user community (Asur, 2012). Social media had first developed
popularity due to the number of users interacting amongst themselves.
Businesses soon took note of the amount of online attention social media
sites began to attract and realized the potential of attention that social
media can generate (Asur, 2012). Thus, online traffic turned into monetary
value. Social media marketing has since become a popular brand of
online marketing. Businesses have taken advantage of the many
marketing strategies that social media have to offer. One strategy is
structuring their business model on ads that are similar to Google. When
Google began to dominate online searches in the early 2000s, it did not
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take long for them to discern a then unique model of monetization of
search, through online advertising 9 (Asur, 2012). This method is
profitable because people on average spend ample amount of time
searching the web. The number of users constantly on the internet has
been amplified by the availability of social media platforms. Businesses
have also created their own social media pages so that consumers can
subscribe to their feeds and essentially be a forum for consumertobusiness communication. This can provide an opportunity for businesses
to not only interact with their consumers, but to also see what their
competitors are doing and how they are engaging with their customers.
As an example of how organizations can use mobile marketing and social
media, Flat Tummy Tea has proven month on month growth since its
establishment in 2013 at a rate of over 400% annually (Synergy, 2015,
para. 5). Flat Tummy Tea is a uniquely formulated two-step herbal detox
tea that works naturally help speed metabolism, boost energy and reduce
bloating to flatten the user’s belly. They have accomplished this growth
rate through embracing the internet and utilizing social media effectively
as a key part of their marketing. The company’s secret is a very specific
process and ROI based algorithm used on various online platforms,
specifically on Instagram (Synergy, 2015, para. 6). One of their key
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activities were simply using individuals with a strong social media
following, such as celebrities. Flat Tummy Tea has built a social media
following of over 500,000 on Instagram, many whom are new customers
(Synergy, 2015, para. 6).
Chapter 3 – Methodology
The following sections detail the research design, the participants of the study,
and the methods and procedures to conduct the study. The study’s methods
and procedures were assessed by the Old Dominion University College of
Education Human Subjects Review Committee.
RESEARCH DESIGN
In order to determine the impact of social media marketing on individuals’
attitudes and perceptions, a descriptive correlational survey method was used.
This method was used to assess the demographic profiles, such as sex and
age, of each of the participants, along with their social media use. Additionally,
each respondent was asked to fill in a survey questionnaire in order to
determine the factors that may affect their attitudes and perceptions when using
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social media to connect with businesses. The purpose of the study was to
answer the following research questions.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS • How do individuals perceive the usage of social
media? • What are the attitudes toward social media marketing? • How has
social media impacted customer loyalty and purchase decisions? • How can
companies use social media to improve customer interaction? • What are the
most important factors in making social media marketing effective?
PROCEDURES
There were 20 respondents within this study, each with similar backgrounds
and social habits. Participants were administered a questionnaire to complete
in depth. In Section I of the 13 questionnaire, there are questions related to
demographic characteristics of the participants. Section II focused on the
participants’ attitudes toward businesses using social media marketing. This is
to determine how these behaviors can affect customer perceptions and
purchasing decisions. The questionnaire is divided into two parts . For a higher
response rate, the researcher administered the questionnaire to participants.
Prior to the questionnaire, the purpose and significance of the study was briefly
explained. The respondents were given 30 minutes to complete the survey. After
the questionnaires were completed, responses were compiled to be analyzed.
LOCALE OF THE STUDY
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The study was conducted at Northern Virginia Community College
Woodbridge Campus (NOVA).
Research Instrument
The participants in this study were full-time NOVA students between the
ages of 18-30. This age group spend ample amounts of time on social
media and are specifically targeted when it comes to social media
marketing. There was a total of 20 participants in the study. Participants
were chosen through random sampling. After the overview of the study
was explained, the participants were given the option to accept or deny
participation. All participants agreed to participate and answer each
question truthfully. A maximum of 30 minutes was allotted for the
participants to complete the questionnaire.
Statistical Treatment of Data
The primary data collection technique used in this study are survey
research. After each respondent was selected, they were each given
a different time slot to come into the facility at NOVA Community
College and complete the survey questionnaire. There were 2
participants appointed in each session. The participants were
seated apart, and the questionnaire was distributed by hand, along
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with a pencil and/or pen. The researcher was available in case any
questions need to be clarified. After the survey was completed the
participants were free to leave.
Frequency and Percentage
DistributionAfter retrieval of the completed questionnaires, responses
were tabulated and the results were compiled. The results were
analyzed to uncover factors or social behaviors toward social media
marketing. The study used descriptive analysis to understand the
impact of social media marketing on participants’ attitudes and
perceptions. Observations were made using the compiled results
from the survey.
Chapter III provided a discussion of the chosen research design in order
to answer the research questions of this study. The descriptive
correlational survey method was used to assess the demographic
profiles, such as sex and age, of each of the participants, along with
their social media use. In order to analyze the factors that may affect
the participants’ attitudes and perceptions when using social media
to connect with businesses, each respondent was asked to fill in a
survey. The study was conducted at Northern Virginia (NOVA)
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Community College, with 20 students being the participants. Survey
research technique was then used to collect the data and compile
the results. Descriptive analysis was used to understand the impact
of
social
media
marketing
on
participants’
attitudes
and
perceptions.
CHAPTER IV:
FINDINGS
To discover the relationship between of social media and customer
purchase decisions and equity, the responses of 20 participants
who were between the ages of 18 to 30 years to a questionnaire
about their attitudes towards businesses using social media
marketing were analyzed. A response rate of 100% was achieved in
this study. The following section represents the analysis of the
responses to the questionnaire administered in this study
Gender and age of respondents
From the results of the questionnaire, most of the respondents were
young females. From the total 20 respondents, 11 were females
(55%) whereas 9 were males (45%). Of those percentages, the
survey revealed that 70% of the respondents were under the age of
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25, predominately female. The other 30% of the respondents were
above the age of 25. Table 1 shows the gender distribution of
participants in the study. Figure 1 shows the age of the participants.
Table 1.Gender of the Respondent
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GENDER
# OF
RESPONDENT
# OF
RESPONDENTS
Female
11
55
Male
9
45
TOTAL
20
FIGURE 1
AGE OF RESPONDENTS
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Age Of Respondents
Number of Respondents
1
8
6
6
18 20
21 28
25 30
AGE
Social media usage All of the respondents have a social media account,
confirming the assumption that everyone is engaged in some sort of social
media. From the 20 respondents in the study, 70% have three or more social
media accounts, whereas the other 30% has at least one social media account.
In Figure 2 the analysis of social media platforms that are used by the
respondents is shown. Since most of the respondents use more than one
social media platform, the percentages are reflected differently. Figure 2 also
shows that the social media platform that was most used by the participants
were Facebook and Snapchat (both at 22.7%)
Figure 2
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Social Media Used by Respondents
Time Spent on Social Media
The respondents reported how often they use social media and the amount of
time they spend on social media per day. Results show that 95% of the
respondents noted that they connect every day to a social media platform. The
other 5% of participants reported connecting to a social media platform once a
week (see Figure 3). Of the 95% that connect every day, 63%, reported that
they spend 3 or more hours a day on social media periodically (see Figure 4).
Figure 3 : Time spent on social media platforms According to respondents
Time spent on social media per week
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Figure 4 :Time spent on social media platforms According to respondents
Time Spent on social media per day
Online Visibility
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Responses to the questionnaire show that 95% of the participants use social
media on a day-to-day basis. This figure may be important when deciding
whether it is necessary for a business to opt into social media as a selling
strategy. The participants were also asked if the online visibility of a business
would affect their purchase. Results show that 55% of the respondents says
that online visibility would affect their purchase, while the other 45% says that
it would not (see Figure 5).
Figure 5 : Significance of online visibilty
Descriptive Analysis
The participants were asked to rate what are the important factors for a
business using social media on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most
important and 5 being the least important. The variables in this rating question
include consistency of posts, type of content, customer engagement, online
promotions and timing of posts. A descriptive analysis was conducted after
tabulating the results of the question, specifically focusing on the most
important and the least important. The least important factor was the timing of
posts and the most important factor was customer engagement. The results
are reflected in Table 2.
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Variables
Least
Importa
nt
Most
Importa
nt
1
3
3
4
5
5
7
N
Mean
Rating
1
9
3.73
Standa
rd
Deviati
1.28
on
Consistency of
post
Type of
content posted
2
2
3
7
5
3
2
3
2
0
2.45
1.47
Customer
Engagement
9
7
1
2
1
2
0
1.95
1.19
Online
promotion
Timing of post
3
4
5
3
4
3.05
1.39
0
1
6
8
5
1
9
2
0
3.85
0.87
Table 2 : Descriptive Analysis of what the participants Believe are Important
factors for a business Using Social
Social Media Marketing
Results show that 55% of the respondents post about products or services a
business offers while the other 45% of the respondents do not. Although the
participants may or may not post about the products or services a business is
offering, 95% of the respondents believe that a business will receive better
results when it comes to customer loyalty and profits if social media is
integrated into marketing. Since social media is integrated into everyday life, it
is important for businesses to utilize this avenue of marketing. The results
also show that 75% of the respondents believe that social media is the best
way to reach a business’s targeted audience, whereas the other 25% believe
that there are other useful ways to reach a target market. Social Media
Activities Since new technologies have been dominated by social media,
businesses have decided to expand their horizons by joining this social
movement. Businesses have set up their profiles online in hopes of attracting
members in the online community. Out of the 20 participants in this study,
results show that 80% of the respondents follow a business on social 22
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media. Of the 80% of respondents, only 35% (7 of 16) keep up to date with
sales and promotions by using social media (see Figure 6). Results show that
out of the other 20% that do not follow a business on social media, less than
5% (1 of 4) keep up to date with sales and promotion (see Figure 7). The
responses of the questions suggest that although people are not likely to
share promotions or keep tabs on a business via social media, they do pay
attention. Despite of this hypothesis, the results show that 90% of the
respondents have taken advantage of a sale they heard about via social
media.
Figure 6 : Respondents Following a business on Social Media
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Figure 7: Respondents Keeping Up to Date with a Business on Social Media
Social Media Experience
The participants were asked about the likeliness of sharing an experience they
have had with a business on their social media accounts. The results show
that 10% of the respondents are very likely to share an experience had on
social media, 55% of the respondents are somewhat likely, and 35% of the
respondents are unlikely (see Figure 8. The participants were also asked about
the likeliness of sharing sales or promotions that a business offers on their
social media accounts. The results show that 10% of the respondents are very
likely to repost a sale or promotion codes to friends, 40% of the respondents
are somewhat likely, and 50% of the respondents are very unlikely (see Figure
9). Responses to the questions suggest that people are more likely to share an
experience they have had with a business rather than sharing sales or
promotions a business is offering.
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Figure 8: Likeliness of Sharing an Experience on Social Media
Figure 9: Likeliness of Sharing Promotions on Social Media
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SUMMARY
Responses to the questionnaire with 20 participants from NOVA
Community College show that 95% of the participants use social
media platforms on a daily basis. The most used social media
platforms are Facebook and Snapchat with 22.7% of participants
having an account in these platforms, and 70% of participants
indicating using more than 3 social media platforms. The results
showed that 55% of the respondents say that online visibility would
affect their purchase. The most important factor for a business
using social media was customer engagement and the least
important factor was the timing of posts. The questionnaire also
revealed that only 55% of the respondents post about products or
services of a business. However, 95% of the respondents believe
that a business will receive better results when it comes to
customer loyalty and profits if social media is integrated into
marketing and 75% of the respondents believe that social media is
the best way to reach a business’s targeted audience. The
likeliness of the respondents sharing an experience they have had
on social media are 10% very likely, 55% somewhat likely, and 35%
unlikely. The likeliness of the respondents reposting a sale or
promotion codes to friends are 10% very likely, 40% somewhat
likely, and 50% very 10% 40% 50% Likeliness of Sharing
Promotions on Social Media Very Likely Somewhat Likely Very
Unlikely 25 unlikely. These results suggest that people are more
likely to share and experience they have had with a business rather
than sharing sales or promotions a business is offering.
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